OTTAWA, February 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After a mostly well worded speech in the House of Commons defending traditional marriage, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper disappointed Canadians in announcing the Conservative amendment to the bill.
The amendment says: “This house declines to give second reading to Bill C-38 . . . since the principle of the bill fails to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others and fails to recognize and extend to other civil unions established under the laws of the provinces the same rights and benefits and obligations as married persons.”
Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition commented on the amendment saying, “The first part of the amendment is just what was necessary, what was expected, what was needed – a rejection of the bill since it did not define marriage properly. However, Harper needlessly went on to totally offend a large portion of the country and alienate many of his supporters with an add-on devaluing marriage by opening to any civil unions all the benefits and rights of married couples.”
“Marriage is the institution which brings forth and nurtures the next generation and as such deserves special rights and benefits. Such privileges are the reward and incentive society owes married couples for the sacrifice involved in raising good citizens,” he concluded. The amendment is a political ploy since the Supreme Court and even Harper in his own speech acknowledged that civil unions are strictly a provincial matter.